I just chanced upon the word ‘psychopomps.’ It seemed to encapsulate a lot of what I was doing. I was reading a book called Animals, Men and Myth, which was about how humans had harnessed the power of various animals over the years for their own ends. The first creatures to go in a hot air balloon were a sheep and a duck—that’s what they tested it out on. They sent a monkey into space, didn’t they? I wanted to pay homage to the whims of those crazy inventors.

TB: What attracted you to taxidermy?
PM: It’s an illusion: a three-dimensional magic trick that doesn’t fade. What’s not to like?

TB: Your Facebook fan-page quote, “I hate death as much as ever.” Please explain.
PM: It must be a quote taken from a previous interview. I’m not sure what the context was. It’s probably just because people often ask about my attitude to death and I don’t see it as being any different to the next person’s; I hate it as much as I’ve ever done.

And a great video with magazine another. An accompanying book for the exhibit is available for purchase if you can’t make it person – I’ve ordered a copy, and will post a review later.